snake charmer
by kathleenfergie
Summary: she gazes across the room at the peculiar hufflepuff specimen, who currently wasn't wearing her tie and had pulled her mass of curly auburn hair up into a half-assed bun; every once and a while she would flick her eyes to the snakes' side of the room. she doesn't understand it, but the hufflepuff gnaws at her later in her dreams. oneshot. ofcs. au.


inspired by this tumblr post post/85977215225/knightarcana-somaperies-potages although i strayed a little off the idea.

basically cute lesbians.

if you don't like the way i formatted it, sorry, i am who i am.

i own nothing, good ol' jk's got it.

* * *

it all started on an another particularly insufferable day in double potions, where professor malfoy babbled on about the properties of a bezoar. she wasn't one to stare, but ninety percent of the hufflepuffs across the room were so visibly tense in the presence of slytherins that she was quick to notice the one who looked like she couldn't give a flying fuck about the snakes or a bloody rock. she was surprised, even in fifth year, that her schoolmates were so swift to judge the slytherins; even after all the work their families had done to rebuild the wizarding world after the war ended during first year (albeit it was done somewhat reluctantly and at the threat of their own cells in azkaban).

while pompous prof. malfoy droned on, she continued to gaze across the room at the peculiar hufflepuff specimen, who currently wasn't wearing her tie and had pulled her mass of curly auburn hair up into a half-assed bun due to the addition of spring term's humidity in the dungeons. her wand kept the hair in place as she doodled mindlessly on a scrap of parchment. only once did malfoy ask her a question, which she answered in the most unimpressed tone, before continuing her attempt to pretend she was anywhere else but double potions. she hadn't noticed the slytherin girl who was doing almost the exact same thing, but every once and a while she would flick her eyes to the snakes' side of the room.

she couldn't see what colour they were from her place among green robes, but they looked light even in the dim setting of the classroom.

after another excruciating hour went by, malfoy dismissed them with the toll of the clock, and they all rushed towards the main hall, desperate for fresh air and a touch of sunlight, which would no doubt burn their eyes at first. she stayed behind, gathering her blank parchment and making sure that her ink cap was closed properly (too many disasters had led her to be as cautious as possible) before exiting her row of desks, only to be checked in the side. thankfully, she did not fall, catching herself on a bench, but when she looked up, the hufflepuff she'd noticed earlier was standing above her, holding out a hand, murmuring an apology. she noticed then that her eyes were a very light green, lighter than jade, and they were piercing against her bright hair.

she mumbles an awkward thanks just as malfoy quips at them for taking too long. they both retreat from the classroom, and once they reach the grand staircase, take separate paths, but for some reason the image of the tie-less hufflepuff sticks in the slytherin's head like a maths problem she can't dispel. she tries not stare again through the midday meal, but every so often her eyes flick towards the table speckled with spots of yellow, and only once does she catch the pale green eyes for a small moment before acting like she was simply staring off into space.

she doesn't understand it, but the hufflepuff gnaws at her later in her dreams.

* * *

the next week of double potions continues the same; malfoy talks about the healing properties of this and the negative effects of that while she pretends to listen, whereas in actuality is sketching out the straight angle of the hufflepuff girl's nose. she's let to learn the, once again, tie-less girl's name, but is content to harshly entrap her in ink when in times of boredom. the other girl hasn't noticed the fascination the slytherin has adopted with her, and for that she is glad. no doubt the other hufflepuffs would disapprove and band together to mindlessly protect the girl from a nonexistent danger.

how quick they are to forget that they all huddled together in the safety of the kitchens during first year while voldemort's army tore apart their home, the house elves doing everything in their power to keep wards up around the younger students. she does not forget these moments, and she is surprised that such a house that is supposed to be based around the most loving and forgiving person despises hers without a fight.

the girl, however, seems different, a trait she noticed when she hadn't been left alone to pick herself up off the floor a week ago.

malfoy calls her name from his place at the head of the room, looking pointedly at her lack of lecture notes (she is convinced all the teachers inherit a third eye once they enter hogwarts), and she apologizes quietly, scratching down the ingredients for the potion the class it to be working on the next few days. it is just her luck that a pair of wide, pale eyes is staring at her moments later from the stool adjacent to her, a potions kit in her grasp. internally, she thinks that merlin is either working for or against her.

they sort out who is to do what task, and finally she learns her name (emily), and it is so mundane compared to her own cliche slytherin one (emerald) that she wonders if the girl is muggleborn. it doesn't quite matter to her, being someone who has lived through the war and its effects on the wizarding world, but she wonders nonetheless. while the cauldron water is simmering, she asks about the lack of a tie and the other girl (emily, she repeats in her head) smirks.

'i've got fantastic tits,' she replies unexpectedly, and the slytherin next to her guffaws. 'it'd be a shame to keep them hidden.'

malfoy cocks an eyebrow at the pair as he passes their work station, but continues on his way, not before chastising the young hufflepuff on her blatant disregard of dress-code. in some ways he is glad for the civil nature of the pairing, as many other students protested at having a snake as their partner. it annoyed him deeply, as he knew the feeling all too well.

time flies as they chop ingredients and stir the bubbling liquid until the clock chimes their departure, and they leave together again, much to the surprise of the population of other students.

* * *

the project continues for several days, where they both affectionately call each other 'em' in an amused tone, noticing how well their names go together, and they are glad to receive an outstanding on their final work, as neither believed that they were truly gifted in potions. maybe the lack of a tie was really working out in the hufflepuff's favour, the other jokes one day, earning a light smack on her dark crown. she ducks her head, laughing, and the other girl joins in moments later, making a rather rude comment about their professor before the wizard in question calls the class to order.

malfoy announces that they will keep the same partners for the rest of the term until exams, and there is a chorus of groans from both slytherins and hufflepuffs alike. the two females with similar names however, bump each other in the shoulder and smile.

the seating arrangement is changed and the two companions comfortably settle into the new routine.

she finds that she is glad she no longer has to stare across the room in order to catch sight of her beautiful pale eyes, and she can't help but notice that some days she leaves more buttons undone, just enough to the let the slytherin girl see the silk and lace trapped beneath the other girl's blouse. she tries not to think about it too often, but it fills her with a warmth she'd only ever experienced once, in third year when the slytherin keeper had taken her to the astronomy tower for a passionate snog (until he'd learned how young she actually was. being tall garnered her many possibilities).

* * *

a hogsmeade weekend comes and the two are chugging down butterbeers together, the dark-haired girl paying for both drinks despite the hufflepuff's protests. her parents still have money due to the fact that they didn't fully participate in voldemort's efforts, and so she wasted no time splurging on many sweets for her companion. when they walk back she can't help herself from sweeping a stray auburn lock away from the other girl's face. they both smile at each other for a moment, neither really understanding the gesture or the other's expression, but they continue in the same manner until they reach the castle.

in passing, the girl with the unruly auburn hair notices the slytherin's lack of a tie, and she counts the number of freckles that pepper the swell of her breasts. when they are apart, in their respective dorms, the two stare at their ceilings, melting holes into them as they look for answers to the unending amount of questions they have about and for the other.

double potions comes the following monday, and the slytherin has no clean piece of parchment, and she is forced to use the one she unceremoniously drew her friend's face on. it does not go unnoticed and a pair of pale eyes causes her another feeling of warmth that she welcomes readily.

* * *

'i'm not a muggleborn, you know,' she whispers one day as the two lay side by side in the grass by the lake, forgoing lunch to bathe in the midday sun. her fingers are twirling a strand of dark brown hair and she stares thoughtfully at the chestnut coloured mane.

'i didn't ask,' the other responds, turning her head until she is nose to nose with the hufflepuff (who she is confused about on a daily basis).

'i know,' she murmurs, her eyes flicking downward for a moment. 'but i know you wondered about it, in the beginning. i didn't want you to think less of me.' she stares softly at the slytherin girl for a moment before moving to rest her head on her friend's (or her whatever's) chest. it is comfortable, and soon after a tentative arm strokes her bicep.

'em?'

'hmm?'

'i wouldn't have, though.' she paused. 'i wouldn't have cared one bit.'

* * *

she buys her gifts for no reason and rejoices internally when the bits of jewelry she's picked out appear in the hufflepuff's daily wardrobe. she still refuses to wear the tie, much to the disdain of prof. malfoy, instead permanently replacing it with a topaz pendant on a silver chain that dips low into her bust. she is smug about the fact that she catches her friend (or whatever she is) glancing down at it every so often, her gaze lingering on the tops of her breasts.

she was the only person who'd ever made her feel somewhat attractive in the uniform and she expresses her gratitude by rubbing her thumb against the small of the other girl's back while malfoy discusses their next project. she elicited shivers from the slytherin girl, who leans into her touch with no hesitation.

the hufflepuff giggles quietly and turns her attention back to malfoy, her left hand still colourfully fingerpainting onto her friend's back.

* * *

when an idiot boy in their potions class bitterly calls the hufflepuff a 'filthy snake charmer,' the snake in question has to keep herself from breaking his nose. the main reason she is unable to do it is because her 'charmer' as she was called, wraps a hand around her waist and pulls her out the classroom doors rather hastily, before the slytherin can start a scene. she doubted prof. malfoy would be impressed with blood in his lab, unless it was for an assignment.

her arm is still around the slytherin's waist as they make their way up into the light, past the great hall, and towards the astronomy tower, where the girl with pale eyes and a mass of auburn hair pushes the other against a pillar and kisses her furiously at first, and then slowly so that she does not bruise either of their lips. the slytherin girl stares at her, much like she used to at the beginning of term, but this time there is a surprised quality to her dark eyes, followed by a hazy look. she leans forward to kiss her companion shyly, and smiles against the girl's lips.

she thinks of the keeper from two years ago, surmising that he felt nowhere near as good as she , and she continues to kiss her hufflepuff girl.

they miss lunch completely, opting to sit side by side on the terrace of the tower, two pairs of feet swinging freely off its edge.

the slytherin girl presses a kiss on the cheek of the other, who laughs happily before turning to give her another lingering peck.

* * *

they are both late to their afternoon classes several times as the term plays itself out, and the slytherin affectionately calls her hufflepuff 'charmer,' causing a blush to spread on her love's cheeks. the two continue to refuse to wear their ties, and when they do, they wear the opposite's house colours, which earns them several demerits from a number of teachers (malfoy leaves them alone only because they do well in his class) and one giggle-filled trip to the headmistress' office, whereupon the former headmaster winks at them from behind his half-moon spectacles.

his knowing smile earns an embarrassed look from the slytherin girl, who is often too proud to allow embarrassment, but the oil-ensconced wizard brings out her hidden traits.

the headmistress clicks a tongue at her old friend and sends the girls back to their own classes, with warnings about following the dress code.

they do, for a while, until the slytherin is gifted with her own emerald pendant (she does not misstep the irony), which she shows off until the end of school.

* * *

they spend their last day sunbathing by the lake, in each other's arms as the giant squid dances below the water's surface, and to the both of them it is peaceful.

the slytherin's family has allowed her to stay all summer with her hufflepuff girl and she is a ball of nerves until those last moments when the red train she knows well pulls into king's cross station, depositing the two females hand in hand on the platform.

she learns that her girl is a half-blood, and that her father (the muggleborn) works for the ministry, while her mother runs a daycare program that focuses on a safe environment for children to explore their magic at young ages.

she likes them, and they seem fond of her.

they do not question when the two girls spoon on the living room couch after the family has finished watching a film, only give their daughter a kiss goodnight and an affectionate smile to the slytherin girl before the adults head to bed.

the hufflepuff's eyes are closed and her breathing has evened out and her arms are wrapped tight around the other.

she smiles at her auburn haired girl before snuggling closer to her, summoning a throw blanket over the two of them, settling in for the night.

she likes to think that she is settling in for the rest of her life, and her dreams are filled with small, pale-eyed children.


End file.
